A former Commissioner for Finance and Budget Planning in Abia state, Obinna Oriaku, has urged transparency and accountability in the handling the monthly federal allocations and other accruals to the state.
He made the call in a personally signed article.
Oriaku, the finance commissioner under Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, called on Governor Alex Otti to be kind to Abians by disclosing what he does with the allocations from the Federation Account and the Internally Generated Revenues (IGR) of the state.
According to the publication, the call is coming barely one month after the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Okezie Kalu, called for prudent management of the resources from the federal government to the state, urging for proper utilisation of the revenue allocations and other generated funds within the state, in attending to critical infrastructure in the state.
Kalu, while addressing the Renewed Hope Partners in Abia last month, also hinted that the state was in receipt of N38 billion in excess of federal allocations and other accruals, monthly, in the second quarter of 2025.
Governor Otti, has however, dismissed the claim, insisting that the monthly revenues for the state stand at N15 billion.
But in an article titled: Abia’s Q3 2025 Financial Report: Unanswered Questions, Conflicting Figures and Rising Transparency Concerns, Oriaku faulted Otti’s claims, describing it as “suspicious” and “confusing.”
He said the recently published Abia Q3 2025 Financial Report, reviewed by Progressives Abia Youth, stirred a fresh wave of concerns across the state.
According to him, although the sectoral breakdown appears detailed at first glance, a deeper look reveals figures that sharply contradict what is obtainable on the ground and what the government previously claimed.
“The report indicates that Abia received a total revenue of N91 billion in Q3, a noticeable drop from the N114 billion recorded in Q2. This reduction confirms that the state enjoyed substantial non-FAAC inflows in Q2, which pushed the earlier figure upward. Yet, Q3 was a period marked by some of the highest FAAC disbursements nationwide, including N1.9 trillion in July, N2.3 trillion in August and N2.1 trillion in September. During this same period, Abia’s internally generated revenue reportedly increased from N13.3 billion to N18 billion,” he said.
He expressed disappointment that, “Despite these realities, the state government continues to deny that Abia received an average of N38 billion monthly between April and June. For clarity, Abia received N84 billion in Q1 which translates to about N28 billion monthly. In Q2, the figure rose significantly to N114 billion which is about N38 billion monthly. In Q3, the total revenue of N91 billion translates to N30.3 billion monthly.”
Continuing, he said, “These inconsistencies have triggered public doubt, especially because the same government has been busy discrediting a financial report prepared and signed by its own authorised officials. Many Abians are now asking why states such as Enugu and Imo have visible landmark projects funded from these same revenues, while Abia citizens are expected to celebrate patchwork road repairs. Officials insist on being judged using the standard of past administrations, even though current economic realities are far more favourable.
“It is, therefore, legitimate to ask what the Abia state government does with over the N30 billion it receives monthly from FAAC alone, excluding the 17 local governments allocations that average about N11 billion monthly. When both figures are combined, Abia’s total monthly inflow rises to well over N40 billion, making the lack of transparency in the state’s financial reporting even more troubling.”
